STAYS (Stray Kids fans) have been rejoicing over the Stray Kids 2024 World Tour. This announcement trended on many social media platforms, with STAYS hoping for the group to tour their countries. Compared to their 5-STAR Dome Tour and MANIAC World Tour, the upcoming 2024 World Tour could have a broader reach.
After speculation from a JYP document, the STAYs were able to predict the possibility of an upcoming World Tour in 2024. Speculations of the country list soon trended, but JYP has yet to confirm any official country list.
Nevertheless, any STAY excited to see the group wouldn’t want to miss out on ticket sales. For any STAY who has plans to attend the Stray Kids World Tour 2024 concert as their first concert, there are several good sites they can visit for fair pricing. Although tickets aren’t on sale yet, it’ll be good to keep an eye out for releases on these sites.
SeatGeek is a well-organized ticketing site where STAYS from the US can grab tickets. The site already has Stray Kids listed, and it’s easy to check tour dates and locations. STAYS from Indonesia can watch ticket sales go live at tiket.com, and fans from the Philippines can anticipate another war at the SM ticketing website if Stray Kids tours there again. Singapore had MANIAC World Tour tickets on Klook, but fans could also access tickets from the Live Nation site. It’s unclear if other Southeast Asian STAYs could buy tickets from Klook for Stray Kids outside of Singapore.
Japan has StubHub and STAY Japan, while South Korean STAYS can access the Yes24 site for World Tour 2024 tickets.
For international fans hoping for Stray Kids to land on their shores, Ticketmaster is also a good site to keep an eye out for, just in case. Thai fans can also access Thai Ticket Major, which is also owned by Ticketmaster.
In a world full of flim-flammin‘ former presidents and disaster politicians, we need a hero upon which we can hang our hopes. That hero has come, and his name is Waffle. Well, his foster family calls him Waffle, but to his friends, enemies, and everyone else he’s simply “Shoresy”. Who is Shoresy? For starters, he’s the endlessly chirping hockey player from Letterkenny who earned his own spin-off series. He’s the greatest. He’s a veteran of the Canadian hockey team the Sudbury Bulldogs, who are currently dead last in the league after a 20-game losing streak. Ouch. But is Waffle gonna let that get him down? Hell no. He made a bet with the team’s general manager that he could get the Bulldogs back on track. Better than that. Under his guidance, he swears the Bulldogs will never lose again. Shoresy is a modern-day hero’s journey, plain and simple. But is that why we love Shoresy? His ambition?
No, we love him because he’s a total himbo cinnamon roll.
Shoresy: A TikTok Rizz God
I confess I hadn’t heard of Shoresy until tales of his effortless rizz were told on TikTok. A quick gander at some particularly lusted-after Shoresy clips show that the man has an effortless charisma capable of making even the steadiest heart swoon. The internet has crowned actor and series creator Jared Keeso’s Shoresy as TikTok’s Most Eligible Bachelor, and people across the world have decided to settle for nothing less than the energy that this man radiates. With a mix of humor, humility, and a confident grin shy of a few teeth, Shoresy has become a positive symbol of masculinity—marking his apotheosis into the hallowed halls of the Rizz Pantheon.
Will Shoresy return for Season 3?
Hulu was equally rizzed by Shorsey’s unmatched charm and decided to announce that Shoresy would be returning for season 3 even before the second season debuted on the streaming platform. Anything for Waffle. Shoresy began shooting in the fall of 2023, meaning that we will likely see the series return sometime in mid to late 2024. In the meantime, you can get your Jared Keeso fix with the 12th and final season of Letterkenny streaming now on Hulu.
Joining Jarod Keeso’s Shoresy is Tasya Teles as Nat, the steely general manager of the Sudbury Bulldogs. Alongside this pair is Ryan McDonell as Mark Michaels, Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat as Sanguinet, Blair Lamora as Ziigwan, Terry Ryan as Ted Hitchcock, and Keilani Rose as Miigwan. The envious object of Shoresy’s eye is Laura Mohr, played by Camille Sullivan. If only we could all be so lucky.
Don’t get me wrong. I adore HBO’s The Last of Us. The thing is, I loved the original video games going into the show. While the TV series is brilliant, the adaptation is not what makes me love that story. Whereas when it comes to Netflix’s Arcane, set in the world of Riot Games’ League of Legends, I’ve never been particularly interested in the game, but I adore the compelling, emotionally affecting show.
The adaptation itself is worthwhile, whether you’ve played League of Legends or not. Think pieces galore cite The Last of Us as a turning point for quality game adaptations. But we’ve already had great ones. Arcane is one of them.
A first look at season two of Arcane!
Netflix just released an intriguing “First Look” at season two of Arcane, which will be arriving on the streamer in November:
In it, we see Singed (Brett Tucker) in a chair seemingly coming in and out of consciousness while engaged in more science experiment f*ckery. He’s in the middle of some kind of strange blood transfusion, blood traveling from his arm down some tubes into some larger glass canisters…but to what end?
It isn’t until the final shot of the dialogue-free clip that we see the end point of all the traveling blood and fluid. A large, mutated monster is hanging from the ceiling. If you are familiar with League of Legends lore, and if you look closely at the feet, the head, and the telltale glowing green canister coming out of its back, you might recognize who it is.
Holy crap, is that….?
After lots of fan speculation, it looks pretty definitive that Warwick will be joining the story of Arcane in the show’s second season. So, who is Warwick, anyway?
Warwick, aka Subject #1088, is a character from League of Legends with some compelling and traumatic backstory. Warwick was born human, and had been a gangster who ended up trying to live a better life and walk the straight and narrow.
When Singed went looking for a new subject for his experiments in transmutation, however, he saw in Warwick a “beast.” According to the in-universe story, “Engineering the Nightmare,” Singed wrote that he, “Procured a cutthroat hiding among the populace and feigning civility. Only a disciplined eye could recognize the beast within, yearning for release. How could I refuse? For what is my work if not an attempt to reveal life’s hidden truths through science?”
Singed’s experiments end up turning this reformed criminal into a bloodthirsty, wrathful lycan in constant pain for whom the very smell of blood will cause a frenzy that assures the bleeding person’s death. Thankfully, he only seems to seek out the criminals of Zaun when looking to feed. At least he has a code, I guess?
When are we getting a second season of Arcane?
Back in November 2023, Variety reported that Netflix has officially announced that season 2 of Arcane will arrive on the streamer in November 2024! While they didn’t announce a specific date, at least we now know what month we can expect it. This makes sense, as fans of the show have been speculating online that November is a likely premiere month, as it would not only be in line with when the show’s first season premiered, but also line up with League of Legends‘ 15th anniversary.
Turns out that the fans were right!
Back in September, SFX reported that Tencent, League of Legends‘ Chinese parent company, announced at their Video V Vision Conference that season two of Arcane would be arriving in Q4 of 2024. So it seems that Fall was always likely, and as progress has been made on the season (and now that the SAG-AFTRA strike is officially over), the companies involved have been able to zero in on more exact timing.
Arcane‘s nine-episode first season was Netflix’s highest-rated series within a week of its premiere, ranked first on the Netflix Top 10 Chart in 52 countries, and ranked second on the chart in the United States. So, it would’ve been foolish for the streamer not to give the series another season.
Back in November 2021, shortly after Arcane‘s first season ended, the League of Legends YouTube channel released this video announcing that season 2 of Arcane was in production!
According to then-Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent, it took them six years to make the first season of the show. And while he said it shouldn’t take that long for season 2, he also said that it wouldn’t be happening in 2022:
So yeah, we are working on #arcane season 2. The good news: you won’t have to wait for 6 years (the time it took us to making season 1) The bad news: it’s not coming in 2022 ? https://t.co/IQoPyLnw1J
It is now 2023, and Laurent has transitioned out of his position at Riot Games and into an advisory role to focus on family and move back to France. As reported by The Verge, Riot Games’ Global President Dylan Jadeja has stepped into the CEO role.
It’s unclear how (or if) this changing of the guard has impacted production on Arcane, but it’s heartening to know that despite needing to wait a year, there’s a definite end in sight.
What can we expect from Arcane season 2?
(Netflix)
The first season of Arcane focused on the relationship between orphaned sisters Vi (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) and Powder (voiced by Ella Purnell) who struggle to survive the brewing tensions between the wealthy city of Piltover and its oppressed underbelly, the city of Zaun. As young Vi and Powder get older, are separated through misunderstanding, and grow up under very different influences, they end up on opposing sides of Piltover and Zaun’s clashes over class, power, and arcane technologies.
The season ends with Powder having grown into a new, unstable persona and going by the name Jinx. Try though she does to reach Jinx, Vi pushes too far and after some traumatic events, Jinx fully embraces her new self and commits an explosive act of terrorism.
Season 2, then, would likely be dealing with the aftermath of that. Who survived Jinx’s attack? Will Zaun gain independence from Piltover? And most importantly, will Vi and Jinx ever be sisters again?
“You’re going to be on the edge of your seats. You’re going to be conflicted in such a way that I don’t know if it’s good or bad. Like, your emotions will be pulled out of you and you’ll be like ‘OH MY GOD!’ That’s how you’re going to end. It’s so good! This is one of the coolest things I’ve ever been part of.”
What about the cast and characters of Arcane season 2?
(Riot Games)
While the first season two video announcement above featured no show visuals, it did feature snippets of dialogue from various characters. Digital Spy reported that one bit toward the end was particularly significant:
“Arcane fans are convinced they can hear the mechanical heartbeat of League of Legends’ champion Warwick, a part-werewolf, part-machine who doesn’t remember his life before he was experimented on in scientist Singed’s laboratory.”
So yes, fans have been speculating about Warwick since last year, and it looks like they were right to do so!
Sadly, we still have to wait the better part of a year for a new season of Arcane to drop. Thankfully, the brilliant first season is available to watch as much as we want on Netflix.
And who knows? Maybe I’ll even give the game a whirl.
Yellowstone became the sleeper hit of Paramount. The Taylor Sheridan series is lib-pilling conservatives left right and center and giving us a glimpse into the world of John Dutton (Kevin Costner) as his kids fight for the right to the Yellowstone Ranch that has been in the Dutton family for over a century.
After five seasons of the hit series, we are getting ready to say goodbye to the Duttons with the second part of season 5. Well, sort of. Sheridan’s universe on Paramount+ has plenty of other stories about the Dutton family (like 1923, which stars Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren). Still, saying goodbye to the flagship show is sad given how it started the love many have for the Dutton family.
With a large break between the release of the first part of season 5 and delays due to the strikes—as well as Kevin Costner not being happy with the series—there are a lot of questions fans have about season 5 part 2 of Yellowstone. So here is what we know so far about the upcoming final episodes of the series and the end to this portion of the Dutton story.
The final moments of Yellowstone are upon us
After waiting almost a year for the show to return (part 1 concluded in January 2023), we can expect part 2 to finally be ours by November. That is whenseason 5 part 1 premiered in 2023, so it has been quite a journey for fans to get back to the ranch with the crew we’ve come to love.
And since we’ve left the family in part 1, there has been a lot of drama behind the scenes with Costner and whether or not he’ll return as John Dutton. That’s put the future of the show (and his character) in flux given what the show was setting up as the final arc of the series.
Will Kevin Costner be back?
Right now, the regular cast is set to return, and as far as fans know, that includes Costner. The cast includes Beth (Kelly Reilly), Jamie (Wes Bentley), Kayce (Luke Grimes), and Monica Dutton (Kelsey Asbille)—all of whom are back, dealing with John Dutton and his power. How involved Costner will be in the season or what it means for his character as a whole is also in the air.
The returning cast also includes many of our favorite characters. Chief Thomas Rainwater (Gil Burmingham) and Mo (Moses Brings Plenty) are set to return, as well as the Dutton ranch cowboys Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser), Lloyd Pierce (Forrie J. Smith), and Carter (Finn Little). Governor Lynelle Perry (Wendy Moniz) and Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri) will also be returning. With the Yellowstone cowboys headed to the Four Sixes, they’re also bound to reunite with Jimmy (Jefferson White)
With the show coming to an end after this season, there are endless possibilities for what could happened between Jamie and John in their war. Especially given just how many times people have tried to kill John Dutton. And we do have a pretty interesting set up for the rest of the season.
Where are the Duttons now?
At the end of season 5 part 1, Jamie was ready to do whatever necessary to be on top. That made it clear to Beth that there was only one real way to protect the Dutton legacy, so she suggested to her father that they kill Jamie. Although it had been a contentious relationship for seasons, this is the first time that it felt like Beth was 100% serious in her hatred and really meant it when she talked about wanting to kill her brother.
Assuming part 2 starts where the season left off, we’ll know if John is considering it and what it means for the future of the Duttons and Yellowstone Ranch!
Famous actor Daniel Kaluuya (Black Panther, Black Mirror) is making his directorial debut with the 2023 film The Kitchen. For those who have followed Kaluuya’s career, the subject matter and tone shouldn’t come as a surprise.
The Kitchen is set to release on January 12, 2024. Co-directed by Kibwe Tavares and Kaluuya for Netflix, The Kitchen is a dystopian sci-fi film set in a future London where all social housing has disappeared. This obvious social commentary on late-stage capitalism has the potential to rouse discussions on the state of the housing market and government corruption.
Netflix recently dropped the first trailer for The Kitchen:
The original film stars Kane Robinson, Jedaiah Bannerman, BackRoad Gee, Demmy Ladipo, and more. Despite appearances, The Kitchen isn’t based on existing source material. The Kitchen premiered on October 15, 2023, at the BFI London Film Festival. Production for the movie started back in 2014, an abnormally long development time for a project.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Kaluuya said he initially imagined the project as “Reservoir Dogs in a barber shop.” From there, he started brainstorming more ideas to flesh the story out. The story came together after Kaluuya heard people talking about smash-and-grab robberies at various jewelers in London. “I heard about the heists and how the guys doing it were getting £200. £200?” Kaluuya told Rolling Stone. “That means there’s no one around they can sell it to for a million. It said a lot about class.”
Both class and race seem to be at the heart of The Kitchen. Barber shops are well-known staples of low-income neighborhoods, and are a beacon of support for Black communities as well. Kaluuya is no stranger to social commentary projects, having previously starred in Jordan Peele’s Get Out, which tackled Obama-era racism in white middle-class America.
From the details given, The Kitchen sounds fairly promising. We look forward to seeing what Kaluuya has in store for us.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians can be seen as an educational introduction to the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greek myth. The show has already introduced us to one of them, Dionysus, god of wine, festivities, theatre, and even madness, but episode three gave us a quick glimpse at one moreーHermes.
Greek mythology has remained incredibly popular to this day, with stories of the exploits of the gods still taught and shared in the Western world. The stories of the gods are certainly entertaining with the Ancient Greeks imbuing them with classic human foibles. Zeus is a habitual philanderer, Poseidon is known for his atrocious temper, Hera her intense jealousy and horrific punishments. All the gods fall short of perfection, each of them having flaws which only makes the stories surrounding them so much more fun.
The author of the books from which the series is adapted, Rick Riordan, knows this all too well and has continued the god’s, and demi-gods, journeys in our modern-day world through his novels. Many of the gods feature in his books, yet, by the third episode of the Disney+ series, we have only been properly introduced to one, Mr. D or Dionysus, played by Jason Mantzoukas. The ending, however, did give us a glimpse at another god, Hermes, played by the wonderfully well-cast Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Who is Hermes in Greek mythology?
Hermes is the offspring of Zeus and the Pleiad, Maia (yet another one of Zeus’ many flings), and he is a god of many things. One of his many titles is god of tricks as the moment he was born and his mother was asleep, he crept away to steal his half-brother Apollo’s sheep. He drove them backward to confuse anyone looking and bound his feet in twigs so as not to leave any footprints. He was soon discovered but feigned innocence due to the fact he was literally born yesterday. Eventually, he managed to quell his brother’s anger by offering an instrument he had made out of a tortoise shell, inventing the lyre.
In just two days, Hermes became known as the god of tricksters, god of thieves, and the protector of travelers and shepherds. He was also given the position of messenger to the gods and would use his winged sandals (which appear in the Disney+ series as winged basketball shoes) to deliver things around Olympus. Hermes was also tasked with delivering the souls of the dead to the Underworld. And here I thought that I was busy!
Hermes appears often in Ancient Greek mythology, assisting his father with a task that Zeus was unable to carry out himself, one of which was to rescue his unborn half-brother Dionysus from his mother’s womb as she perished in flames. He also assists mortals with their own tasks on Earth, such as aiding Odysseus in getting home after the battle of Troy. Hermes is a man of the people, or god of the people, or man of the gods, either way, he is a helpful deity to know.
Why is Lin-Manuel Miranda such a good fit?
(Disney+)
You must have been living under a rock for the past decade if you don’t know who Lin-Manuel Miranda is at this point. The actor, songwriter, and all-around lyrical genius has changed the landscape of musical theatre with musicals such as Hamilton and In the Heights, something he then did for animated movies when he created the soundtracks for Disney’s Moanaand Encanto. Miranda has won three Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards, and five Grammy Awards as well as two Academy Award nominations.
At the end of Percy Jackson episode three, we glimpse Miranda as the messenger god Hermes. He delivers a box containing the head of the Gorgon Medusa to Mt. Olympus with a wry smile on his face.
Miranda is a great casting for the trickster god for many reasons. For starters, Miranda has an innocent quality to his appearance, something that Hermes has utilized in the past to get himself out of trouble. Secondly, Miranda is known for his fast and witty lyrics, perfect for the silver-tongued trickster god. We got to witness a brief moment of his musical talent on his elevator ride up to Olympus as he hummed along to the 80s tune, “Arthur’s Theme”.
Miranda also excels at playing lovable, sometimes cheeky, characters, (check him out as Lee Scoresby in His Dark Materials) and Hermes is certainly that. Upon arriving at Olympus he exits the elevator with the package and says to his fellow gods, “You guys are not going to believe this.”
Though Hermes never appeared in Riordan’s first book, which is what the first season is adapting, his inclusion in the series is a welcome one. I was sure happy to see him! It does beg the question if we will see more of him this season, especially given his connection to Luke and what is to come in that avenue. We also have plenty more gods to meet before the season is done.
I pray to Dionysus (also the god of theatre and entertainment) that we will see more of Miranda in the episodes to come!
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrived in theaters right before the holidays. Viewers who have waited five years for the Aquaman sequel will likely be anxious for its streaming arrival.
The sequel sees Aquaman (Jason Momoa) balancing family life with his duties as the King of Atlantis. However, the life and kingdom he has built are soon threatened by the return of his archenemy, Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Black Manta is even more powerful than before, with an even greater thirst for revenge. As a result, Aquaman is forced to form a shaky alliance with his half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson), to save his kingdom.
Despite the first Aquaman being the DCU’s biggest commercial success, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has been struggling at the box office. Additionally, its critical reviews haven’t been very favorable. While most critics agree it’s fun and entertaining, it fails to eclipse the original or add anything meaningful to the series. The film’s controversial decision to sideline Queen Mera (Amber Heard) has also added to the film’s poor critical reception and led to some Heard supporters boycotting the movie. Whether it’s because of busy holiday schedules, poor reviews, or support of Heard, there are quite a few reasons why viewers may opt to wait for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom to arrive on streaming.
Does Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom have a Max release date?
(Warner Bros.)
Unfortunately, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom does not yet have a streaming release date. However, since it is a Warner Bros. film, we know for certain that it will be arriving on Max, formerly HBO Max, when it does begin streaming. Meanwhile, if the film follows the pattern of the other recent Warner Bros. DCU releases, we can make an educated guess about when it might arrive.
All of Warner Bros.’ other 2023 DCU films—Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, and Blue Beetle—arrived on streaming between 67 and 90 days after premiering in theaters. The Shazam! sequel and The Flash arrived within 67 and 70 days, respectively, while Blue Beetle waited 90 days before its Max debut. All three films struggled at the box office, though Blue Beetle faired slightly better due to having a lower budget and more positive reviews from critics. Blue Beetle also premiered during the writers’ and actors’ strikes, which may have factored into its longer exclusive theatrical run since studios depended on word of mouth to advertise the film.
Since the performance and conditions of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom seem most similar to The Flash and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the film could arrive on Max as early as February 27, 2024. If it follows the longer theatrical run of Blue Beetle, it may arrive closer to April 2024.
Renowned Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heronbreaks the filmmaker’s ten-year hiatus since making The Wind Rises. The Boy and the Heron was supposed to be his last ever film, but in true Miyazaki fashion, he has one more film in him. According to Studio Ghibli executive Junichi Nishioka, filmmaker Miyazaki is already working on his next featured film.
Based on a novel of the same name by Genzaburō Yoshino, The Boy and the Heron is now in U.S. theaters after making its theatrical debut in Japan earlier in the year. Here’s where you can watch Miyazaki’s latest, The Boy in the Heron, starring Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, and Gemma Chan, among other notable actors for the English dub voice cast.
Theatrical Release
The Boy and the Heron’s North American release happened on December 6, with a wider release on December 8. You can check your local listings and theaters for showtimes below:
Streaming & Digital Release Date
There’s no official word on when The Boy and the Heron will be released on streaming. However, it’s safe to say that the film should eventually land on Max due to Studio Ghibli’s contract with the streamer. As for a digital release, where viewers can own a copy of the film, there hasn’t yet been an announcement. The digital release date will likely depend on how well the film does in North American markets. However, it’s more than likely that The Boy and the Heron will be available to stream in 2024.
They’ve seen every werewolf movie on this list three times already. They’ve had the MCU’s Werewolf By Night on repeat. They crave something new. More than romping in moonlight fields. More than tearing off the limbs of small animals. They need their T.V. fix. And if the world doesn’t decide to give it to them, we’re gonna have a big problem on our hands.
For non-lycanthropes unfamiliar with the series, Wolf Like Me is a story about a single father named Gary (played by Josh Gad of Frozen) who is doing his damnedest trying to raise his little daughter. The grieving widower soon finds hope for the future when he meets the charming Mary (played by Isla Fisher from Confessions of a Shopaholic) and thinks he’s gonna be lucky in love once more! Unluckily for Gar-bear, Mary is a werewolf. But it’s not a total red flag deal breaker! Gary and Mary are working through it!
Is Season 3 coming?
At this point, Peacock has not officially greenlit a third season. Why not? Don’t they know the havoc that impatient lycanthropic fans of the series could wreak upon the general public if forced to wait any longer? While the first season of the series got off to a slow start, Wolf Like Me found its four-legged stride during season 2. To be fair, the second season dropped in October, so it may be a bit early to call for a third. It’s likely that the people at Peacock are waiting to see how the second season is received, and will evaluate if they want to move forward with a third season in 2024 or even 2025. Until then, we’ll simply have to stock up on silver bullets and wait.
Fans of Jujutsu Kaisen have seen Gege Akutami, the manga’s author, post key visuals for season 3 of the anime on their alleged Twitter account earlier in 2023. Although the posters looked legitimate, this announcement for The Culling Game Arc was proven to be fake.
The account that posted the misleading poster isn’t affiliated with MAPPA or Gege Akutami. It was merely a fan account with a huge following. That doesn’t mean fans have nothing to look forward to, because MAPPA is putting its animators back on the grind for Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3.
After the last episode of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 aired, MAPPA released an official teaser for a third season. This isn’t a false alarm. The Culling Game Arc will get a whole season for itself, but the release date is yet to be announced.
Earlier in November, many speculated that the second season of Jujutsu Kaisen would be canceled because animators had reached their breaking point and began speaking out against MAPPA in their own way. Some have drawn unsettling images that indicate their burnout, and many others have shown solidarity with the Jujutsu Kaisen team, who are being worked to the bone like human printers for the next episode.
Things have quieted down on the side of the animators, and the success of the anime has buried the controversy. MAPPA’s animators have proven many times that they can churn out great episodes in a crunch, but at the cost of alleged overwork. Hopefully, MAPPA’s Jujutsu Kaisen team will get a healthier release schedule amidst everybody’s excitement over The Culling Game Arc.
One of the newer anime in the last few years is Chainsaw Man, another bloody, devil-filled anime from MAPPA. Following the boob-loving character of Denji, the first season was a hit, but in lieu of a second season, fans are getting a movie instead.
The first season of Chainsaw Man, adapted from the manga created by Tatsuki Fujimoto,aired at the end of 2022, so fans have been waiting a while to hear the fate of the show and its characters. While there has been no official announcement of a second season, the studio has offered us something else instead. The movie was announced on December 17 at the Jump Festa ’24 event, the annual manga and anime festival held in Tokyo, and we also got the title: Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc.
The movie will follow immediately after the events at the end of the first season and gives us a proper introduction to a new central character, Reze (voiced by Reina Ueda), whom we briefly saw at the end of the first season.
The above video, which has already received 4.2 million views since its release, focuses on Reze, who will act as a love interest to Denji—a bombastic one, at that. The teaser shows Denji and Reze spending time together, hinting at a romantic and close relationship. The film looks to cover the “Bomb Girl” arc of Fujimoto’s manga, which runs from Chapters 40–52 and has been extremely popular with fans. Here, Denji’s relationships will be tested, and the fights and action sequences are expected to go up another notch.
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc will continue to move the story along, and perhaps we can finally get an announcement on a second season afterward. The first season received such fantastic reviews that a lot is riding on this movie to carry on the same fantastic visuals and storytelling. MAPPA has been producing some quality work recently, with Jujutsu Kaisen doing phenomenally well, too.
We can only hope though that they address the issues that led to many of their staff walking out and create a better working environment for their animators who bring the stories to life and bring the studio so much acclaim.
Not much is known about the release date of the movie or where it will be available for watching. We’ll have to wait for the studio to reveal a full trailer and more information, hopefully without too long a wait, but if you wish to reacquaint yourself with the first season, you can head over to Crunchyroll.
You can’t step into a store without spotting the familiar Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Author Jeff Kinney’s series follows the character of Greg Heffley, a (wimpy) kid just trying to get through middle school. The relatable stories have helped legions of kids navigate the difficult tween years, but they’re so omnipresent, it’s tough to tell exactly how many books there are in the series. Here’s a cheat sheet.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007)
Greg starts a new school, and nobody seems to like him very much. Even his best friend Rowley is more popular than he is.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2008)
After an embarrassing incident at the public pool, Greg heads into a new school year hoping no one hears what happened. Unfortunately, his big brother Rodrick has other ideas.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (2009)
Greg’s dad tries to toughen him up by forcing him to do “manly” chores. Things get real when the elder Heffley threatens Greg with military school ….
(Amulet Books)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2009)
Greg wants to hide out in his room all summer, but his mom has other plans. Time for some forced-fun family time!
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth (2010)
Greg’s getting older, which means going to parties with girls. Will Greg be able to cope with the pressure now that his best friend Rowley is away?
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever (2011)
Greg gets accused of damaging school property. Just when it seems he’ll be caught a snowstorm forces him indoors with his family.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel (2012)
This one’s all about finding a date for a Valentine’s Day dance, and how it feels when your friend gets a date … but you don’t.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck (2013)
Everything’s been going wrong for Greg. Rowley even moved on to other friends, and Greg has a difficult time finding a new group.
(Amulet Books)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid:The Long Haul (2014)
The Heffleys hit the road for a family road trip, but everything goes off the rails fast. They get lost, deal with dive-bombing seagulls, and have to use (gasp!) gas station bathrooms.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School (2015)
Greg’s whole town has given up electronics. He and his family don’t cope very well when their whole town dives up electronics and internet. Can’t say we blame them!
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down (2016)
Halloween is coming, but the scariest thing happening in Greg’s life is his mother banning him from playing video games.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway (2017)
The Heffleys take a tropical vacation, but it turns out to be filled with digestive issues, sunburns, and scary “locals” who want to take a bite out of Greg.
(Amulet Books)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid:The Meltdown (2018)
The kids get a snow day, granting them the perfect opportunity to duke it out on the playground with friends, allies … and a few enemies.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball (2019)
Did someone say “toxic mold?” The Heffleys get more than they bargained for when they remodel their home.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End (2020)
It’s time for another summer vacation, and this time the Heffleys are going camping. Then the rain comes … and the floods.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot (2021)
Greg somehow makes the basketball team, even after making a fool of himself on field day. Will his inner athlete finally emerge?
(Amulet Books)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Överlöde (2022)
Greg goes on tour with Rodrick’s band, Löded Diper, but he’s not really cut out for all the rocking and rolling Rodrick does.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer (2023)
Greg is excited when he hears his town might condemn the school building, but then he realizes it means he’ll be separated from Rowley. Time to rally his classmates to save the school!
The entire Diary of a Wimpy Kids series (all 18 of them!) is available in stores and online.
In the style of The Summer I Turned Pretty and The Vampire Diaries, My Life with the Walter Boys brings another brotherly love triangle to the screen. Since the show’s ending differs from the book, viewers will be wondering who Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) originally ended up with.
While My Life with the Walter Boyshas been gaining traction on Netflix, the series is based on the book of the same name by Ali Novak. Both the novel and show follow Jackie, a young woman whose life gets turned upside down when tragedy strikes her family. As a result, she ends up being taken in by the Walter family, who have seven sons. She soon grows close to the boys while trying to heal from her past. Of course, it’s not long before some feelings start to stir between Jackie and the hormonal teenage Walter boys.
Alex (Gentry Ashby) and Cole (Noah LaLonde) are the two boys who vie for Jackie’s attention the most. Alex is the shy, kind, bookish brother, while Cole is the athletic, charming, and troublemaking brother. Given that Alex’s love for Jackie is evident from the first time he sees her, it’s not long before the two officially become an item. However, it’s clear that Jackie and Cole also have their eyes on each other, and tension slowly builds throughout the series. The show will surprise viewers with its ambiguous ending, though, and lead them to the book for further answers.
Who Does Jackie choose in the book?
(Netflix)
Netflix’s series ends without Jackie making an obvious choice, which is understandable since it’s not the official ending. The streamer has already renewed My Life with the Walter Boys for a second season. However, while waiting for season 2 to arrive, viewers may find some answers in the book. While the book ends a bit ambiguously, too, it still resolves a few important things.
In the Netflix series, Jackie doesn’t choose either brother. When Alex tells her that he loves her, Jackie finds herself unable to reciprocate the statement. Hence, Alex goes to bed drunk and heartbroken, while Jackie finds that Cole has fixed a tea set that holds significance to her. Jackie ends up going to find Cole and the two kiss. However, the next day, Alex is bewildered to find an apology note from Jackie. Cole is also surprised by her absence. It turns out Jackie left for New York without choosing either boy or resolving the love triangle.
In the book, Jackie also leaves for New York in the end. The major difference is that she doesn’t leave things hanging with Alex and Cole. Before she leaves, she decides to confess her feelings to Cole, and Alex overhears the conversation. Fortunately, though, there aren’t any hard feelings between the pair. After talking to each other, they mutually decide to end their relationship and accept that they are better as friends. Hence, the love triangle ends, leaving room for Jackie to be with Cole. Although she still leaves for New York, it’s implied that she’ll keep in touch with Cole. Hence, while they don’t explicitly end up together simply because of life’s circumstances, it’s quite clear that Jackie chose Cole in the end and officially ended things with Alex.
Diehard anime fans sure do have an appetite for Bleach. After all, it’s one of the biggest shonen anime ever made alongside Naruto and One Piece. While the haters have tried to disqualify the series from Big Three status time and time again, we don’t care. We just keep drinking down Bleach anyway.
And do you know what goes best with Bleach? That’s right! More Bleach. So get ready to wash down all that Bleach with the newest season of Thousand Year Blood War: Season 3.
What is Thousand Year Blood War about?
To understand the future of the Bleach series, first we must travel back into the distant past! Nearly 1000 years ago, the Shinigami of the Soul Society were locked in deadly combat with The Quincies. While the Quincies and the Shinigami both fight Hollows, they have opposite methods of doing so. The Soul Reapers attempt to purify the souls of Hollows, thereby allowing them to peacefully pass on to the afterlife.
The Quincies completely obliterate the souls of the Hollows they fight, which disrupts the balance of the spiritual world. If the Quincies had continued to destroy Hollow souls in this way, the fabric of the spiritual world would have torn apart. In order to protect the balance of the spiritual world, the Shinigami decided to wipe out the Quincies once and for all. This resulted in the near total elimination of Quincies, and the sealing of their King Yhwach in a prison for 999 years.
And now he’s ready to get out …
Yhwach spent his imprisonment biding his time getting stronger in order to take vengeance on the Shinigami who sealed him away. Now leading a military force called The Wandenreich, Yhwach “The Almighty,” he has begun to wage war on the Soul Society in order to rid the spiritual world of their influence, once and for all.
When will it be released?
According to the anime’s official Twitter account, the third season of Thousand Year Blood War is set to arrive in 2024! And they’ve even included a trailer, how thoughtful!
Who’s who in the cast?
Johhny Yong Bosch and Masakazu Morita will return to play series progatgonist Ichigo Kurosaki in English and Japanese respectively. Joining them will be Michele Ruff/Fumiko Orikasa as Rukia, Stephanie Shen/Yuki Matsuoka as Orihime, Derek Stephen Prince/Noriyaki Sugiyama as Uryu Ishida, Alain Mesa/Hiroki Yasumoo as Yatsutora “Chad” Sado, and Wally Wingert/Kentaro Ito as Renji Abara. The series antagonist Yhwach will be placed by Richard Epcar and Takayuki Sugo. So Yhwach out, if you know what’s good for you.
Gale: Stay Away From Oz takes a new look at the ending of The Wizard of Oz. We’ll tell you where you can watch it.
In 2023, The Wizard of Oz books by L. Frank Baum entered the public domain. That means anyone can take those characters or the world of Oz and reimagine them in brand-new stories. The independent short horror film Gale: Stay Away From Oz does just that. According to IMDB, Gale‘s official summary is “Long gone are the days of emerald cities and yellow brick roads. In this dark re-imagining of the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy Gale is now an elderly woman, broken by years of paranormal entanglement with a mystical realm.” Emily Gale, the granddaughter of Dorothy, reconnects with her grandmother and the mystical realm that haunts her.
Unlike Winnie the Pooh, which also got the horror treatment, the original stories of Dorothy already lend themselves to the horror genre. Who hasn’t watched Return to Oz and felt terrified? With Gale: Stay Away From Oz, it seems like the curse of Oz haunts any of Dorothy’s descendants, which makes for an even creepier connection. So when is Gale: Stay Away From Oz coming out and where can you watch it?
Is there a release date for Gale Stay Away From Oz?
Lucky for you, Gale: Stay Away From Oz is already out! The short film premiered on September 18, 2023. The run time is a little less than 30 minutes, so it makes for a quick watch.
Where to watch Gale: Stay Away From Oz
As of this writing, there is only one place to watch Gale: Stay Away From Oz. It is available exclusively on the horror movie app Chilling. If you have a subscription to the service or sign up for a trial, then you can watch the film. Still on the fence about Gale? Watch the full trailer below to help make your choice. Always be careful when you follow the Yellow Brick Road.
The Mechanist is everyone’s second favorite war criminal in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Uncle Iroh is our first, of course.
While I am still traumatized by the M. Night Shyamalan live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender, these newly released stills are giving me more hope than the actor who played Katara on Ember Island. We’re not quite out of the woods yet—after all, the original creators of the series parted ways with the Netflix production due to creative differences. It’s not exactly a great sign, but considering Netflix’s relative success with the live-action One Piece series, we can raise our hopes slightly.
Whenever the subject of Timothée Chalamet comes up with my friends, I try really hard to pretend that I don’t find him just as attractive as everyone else in my friend group does, because it just feels like it’s too easy. Like, yeah, he’s adorable. He’s got sharp features that could easily cut the nice French cheese he probably eats on a daily basis. Got it, nice, moving on—what else?
Well, thankfully, there’s a lot else. While it’s fair to point out that he, like many young actors, is a product of nepotism, however mild, I truly acknowledge him as one of the most talented actors in our age group. He’s got a very distinct style and range, and he picks really interesting projects to work on. These are the projects highlighted in this list of Chalamet’s best roles.
Call Me By Your Name (2017)
In the years since Call Me By Your Name was released, there’s been a lot of negative dialogue surrounding it, and for valid reasons. It does romanticize a relationship with an unhealthy age gap, and, consequently, an uncomfortable power dynamic. The days of gawking at “the peach scene” have passed and given way to a more critical analysis, and I understand where it’s coming from. Not even gonna get into all the Armie Hammer stuff, blech.
However, there still remains something to be said about just how authentically and beautifully Timmy sold this performance. It was his first major role in a film as an adult, and he took to it like a fish to water (or, rather, like a young Italian boy to disco). When I was younger, I was mainly excited for this movie because of Sufjan Stevens’ work on its soundtrack, but Timmy was the reason it stayed with me for so many years. He was able to come into his role so tenderly, it made you feel like you were the one in a riverside field, trying to articulate your feelings to someone for the first time. (Madeline Carpou)
Lady Bird (2017)
(A24)
I have a lot of love for Lady Bird, because it was my own Boyhood—i.e. it was my younger life to a T, almost unsettlingly so. And while I wasn’t brazen enough to pursue the pretty boy that made my inner thoughts a persistent nightmare to endure, I could definitely recognize who Timmy’s character in this movie was trying to be.
As soon as Lady Bird went into his bedroom, I found myself shaking my head, saying, “No, no, bad idea, he’s gonna wreck your shit.” And then he did. But as horrible a plot point as that whole situation was, it’s a testament to Timmy’s acting skills that he was able to play into the art-hoe-douche stereotype so bloody well.
(Especially since he high-key looks the part, but hey, don’t we all dress for some sort of role?) (M.C.)
Beautiful Boy (2018)
(Uploaded by user mclovin)
My god, this movie made me weep. It’s arguably the campiest movie on this entire list, and at times it feels a little heavy-handed in its emotional beats, but as someone who has experienced personal tragedies similar to the ones at the center of this film, I have to say that Beautiful Boy is as beautiful as its name implies.
And Timothee is at the heart of it all. While credit must absolutely go to Steve Carrell for his role as Timmy’s father, Timmy himself is able to play his role in an almost invasively accurate way. I had to pause the movie a couple times, just to collect myself, and even though I had a personal connection to the subject matter, I don’t believe it would have felt so devastating if it weren’t for how well Timothee embodied his role as Nic. (M.C.)
The King (2019)
(Uploaded by user fuckinggoodmovies)
Yes, yes, Robert Pattinson was a meme in this movie, and the movie itself was kind of a meme (albeit a damn good movie, don’t get me wrong). But where Timothee really shone was in how seamlessly he transitioned from his more typical roles (a somewhat feminine and sensitive character) into King Fucking Henry.
I say this as someone who hated reading Shakespeare in high school, and still finds conversations about Shakespeare annoying: Timmy nailed this shit and made this movie infinitely more interesting than it would have been otherwise. He was a subtle badass all the way through, and even from the very beginning, you could see his character’s potential to grow into the king he was meant to be. He just made this movie so cool, my family watched it three separate times in one week. (M.C.)
Little Women (2019)
Gotta admit, as much as I love Greta Gerwig, I wasn’t totally sold on Little Women like everyone else seemed to be. It felt a little choppy and fast-paced for as ambitious as it was trying to be, but all the actors did a phenomenal job, every single one of them. And of course, Timmy killed it as Laurie.
Dude, I fell in love with Laurie. That scene where he and Jo slipped off? Good god, it was almost too fan-fictiony for me, but I loved it. Sometimes you just gotta let the pretty boy lean into his natural role, and Greta really lets him loose in that regard. (M.C.)
The French Dispatch (2021)
(Uploaded by ONE Media)
And sometimes, you gotta tickle a young leftie’s heartstrings a little and make the pretty boy a collegiate revolutionary. Thanks a lot, Wes Anderson, I didn’t need anyone fueling my already woeful attraction towards these types of dudes. And thanks a lot, Timmy, for once again playing the part so damn well.
But in all seriousness, thank you Wes Anderson for giving the boy a chance to speak in his native tongue. There’s a lot to love about The French Dispatch and it feels unfair to call out just one good role amongst many, but Timmy did phone home with this one, and was only elevated further by Anderson’s superbly sophisticated writing. (M.C.)
Dune (2021)
Trust me on this. I have great intuition for things I know I’ll be impressed by. And part of why I haven’t watched Dune yet is because I know it’ll occupy all the space in my brain that I’m currently reserving for work, love, and Disco Elysium.
But I already know it’s damn good, and that Timothee is damn good in it. Tell me more in the comments, why don’t ya? (M.C.)
Don’t Look Up (2021)
Don’t Look Up fictionalizes the apathy people have about world-ending events. Scientists tell everyone a planet-ending asteroid is hurtling towards Earth. They can literally just look up to see it, but many don’t want to. As a chaotic towny teen named Yule, Chalamet provides a strange comic relief to the frustrating events unfolding.
He’s the kind of guy everyone has in their hometowns who thought they were cooler than they actually were. This guy may act tough, but he’s just a baby underneath his faux leather jacket. One of the funniest scenes is when he delivers an out of nowhere heartfelt prayer to his new friends as they share a final meal before Earth is obliterated. (D.R. Medlen)
Bones and All (2022)
Timothée Chalamet reunited with Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino on Bones and All. Once again Guadagnino pulled a brilliant performance out of Chalamet, even though he played a supporting role to Taylor Russell’s main character, Maren. As Lee, Chalamet is a drifter who serves as a guide and love interest for Maren. Both Maren and Lee suffer from the same affliction that compels them to eat other humans.
Chalamet leans into the oddity of Lee. There’s something strangely sexual about the way he phrases eating another person. I became instantly obsessed with his crop tops and rope belt. He brought the character from the book to life while making Lee completely his own. (D.R.M.)
Wonka (2023)
Wonka tells the story of a young Willy Wonka trying to make his name in the chocolate business. Don’t trust the trailer, the movie is so much fun and enjoyable for audiences of all ages. Chalamet outdoes himself as Willy Wonka. He’s sweet, naive, charming, and maybe a little dumb. You can’t help but love him. He just wants people to share in his happiness while eating chocolate. It’s an admirable dream.
The most surprising part of Wonka for me was that Chalamet sings! His voice isn’t perfect, yet it fits the character so well. It’s earnest and clear while conveying all the deep emotions Willy feels on his journey. I kind of hope Chalamet decides to do more musicals in the future. Or maybe he could play a sleazy rockstar, I would enjoy that too. (D.R.M.)
Honorable Mentions: “Tiny Horse”
I’d watch a “Tiny Horse” movie. In any case, Timmy, if you see this: you were excellent on SNL and your eagerness to be good at this style of comedy only made you a more endearing actor to follow. Please consider hosting again, s’il vous plait. (M.C.)
“Giant Horse”
“Tiny Horse” was too good not to get a sequel. The year: 2057. Our heroes hide underground against the raging and world-ending force known only as Giant Horse. The only hope left is for one man to talk to his old horse friend, who used to be tiny. The power of friendship can save the world from a sci-fi dystopian future. There he is, my tiny horse. (D.R.M.)
Max’s The Gilded Age season 2 is officially over. They packed a lot of twists and turns into that finale, so let’s go over what it means for our favorite characters.
We love the glitz and glamour of The Gilded Age. There’s something about women warring over who has the best opera house while wearing over-the-top dresses that is a salve for my soul. Of course, there are other low-stakes dramas to enjoy. Who will everyone sit with during the tennis match in Newport? Will Bertha Russell finally find a maid who knows how to handle a tiara? And what, exactly, did the new Mrs. Winterton do before she married into old money? Although I am not sure how well The Gilded Age handled topics like Peggy going to the South or the union strikes, the show gave us plenty of rich people’s problems to obsess over. It’s time to unpack everything that happened in the last episode and how that will change the wealthy society of New York.
***SPOILERS AHEAD for The Gilded Age season 2 finale***
The Russells and the Opera War
Season 2 of The Gilded Age focused on the ostentatious Opera Wars between the old money Academy of Music and the new Metropolitan Opera. New money queen Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) waged a societal war against old money led by Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy). It came down to both opera houses opening on the same night. Many undecided wealthy went where they thought they would see the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb). Those with any brains picked the Met because Bertha always wins. The Duke showed up, the Met was full, and the Academy was almost empty. Bertha won and shifted the center of upper-crust society. We knew she could do it.
But how did Bertha convince the Duke to pick her over the money and society offered by Mrs. Astor? Although it wasn’t explicitly said, many, including Bertha’s husband George (Morgan Spector), suspect Bertha offered her daughter Gladys’ (Taissa Farmiga) hand in marriage to the Duke. It will be an interesting point to play out since Gladys seems to have no romantic interest in the Duke. Earlier in the season, George offered to support Gladys’s choice of a husband since he wanted her to marry for love. Will this pit the two Russell parents against each other? George will also have his hands full with trying to outsmart the unions and appease other robber barons. If anyone can walk that tightrope, it is George.
The future of the Van Rhijn household
Of all the families in The Gilded Age, the Van Rhijn and Brook household may have had the wildest ride this season. Matriarch Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) usually has a tight rein on everything happening in her household. This season, she had to go through her niece Marian working as a teacher and getting engaged. Agnes’s spinster sister Ada (Cynthia Nixon) found love and got married, only for her husband to die.
The biggest drama occurred when Agnes’s son Oscar (Blake Ritson) lost most of the family money after being conned by Maud Beaton. A lawyer informs Agnes she must sell her house and get rid of most of the staff to survive on their limited means. Just as things looked grim for the house, an unexpected twist happened. Ada’s late husband had a vast fortune that he left to her. Now Agnes doesn’t need to sell the house and “nothing has to change.” Except, as Marion pointed out, Ada would now be in charge of the servants since she would be paying their salaries. On the surface, things will look the same in the Van Rhijn household. But Agnes will now technically be number two to her sister, something she’s never had to deal with before.
Some hope for the van Rhijn extended family
Marion had been unsure about her quick engagement to Cousin Dashiell (David Furr). She confirmed her doubts when she realized he was still in love with his deceased wife. So she ended things as cleanly as possible. This will hopefully be a good move for her, so she can figure out what path she wants to take in life. She also ended up kissing her friend Larry Russell (Harry Richardson). Good for you, Marion.
At least John “Jack” Trotter, a footman for the house, may have a bright future ahead of him. Throughout the season, he’s worked on improving how his alarm clock worked. The other staff members, and Agnes, supported Jack in his endeavor. Eventually, he received a patent on his escape wheel design and has plans to go into business with Larry Russell. He might turn into one of those rags-to-riches stories that America loves so much.
We want the best for Peggy Scott
Peggy Scott (Denée Benton) went through an emotional journey this season. Her son, who she thought was dead, ended up being alive. Except he sadly died of an illness before she could meet him. Peggy journeyed to the South with her newspaper boss and returned ready to be an activist. Getting her parents involved with her activism surrounding the Black schools proved to be good for all of them. Their relationships seem to be moving in a positive direction. Although her writing career is going great and she’s making a difference, she quit due to her romantic feelings for her boss. Her job at the van Rhijn house seems secure, but Peggy deserves to be a renowned writer. Maybe her dreams will come true when she finishes her book.
We don’t have confirmation on a season 3 for The Gilded Age, but the season ended in a way that another season would be warranted and welcomed. We need more silly hats!
The British holiday romantic comedy Love Actually has been around for 20 years, making it a Christmas classic—but is it a movie the whole family can enjoy?
Love Actually hit theaters in 2003 and stars almost every British actor who was popular at the time. Since then, the rom-com set during Christmas time has become a mainstay for the holiday season. Instead of one story, the plot is broken up into several interwoven tales of people falling in and out of love in the weeks leading up to Christmas. It’s all to show how “love is, actually, all around us.”
Film studio A24 has a reputation for showcasing more avant-garde fare than the typical film studio. As a result, some moviegoers tend to poke fun at the studio for its seemingly pretentious fanbase. Still, it cannot be denied that A24 has released some of the most thought-provoking and intriguing films of late.
The best part is, A24’s slate represents a wide array of genres and themes, from mind-gutting horror films to evocative indies that make viewers stare pensively at a wall for two hours after. With that being said, here are some of the best films that A24 has released so far.
Past Lives
(A24)
The word that best describes Celine Song’s film Past Lives? Melancholy. This film is melancholy in the best way. It’s the kind of sad that fills your heart with joy and nostalgia and your eyes with wistful tears.
Greta Lee and Teo Yoo as former childhood sweethearts Nora/Na Young and Hae Sung have achingly palpable chemistry. Watching them express their deep, vague longing with glances and chaste hugs that reflect much deeper subtext is like watching an acting master class. Song’s elegant and incisive direction allows you to sit in the beautiful pain of it all so that it’s almost but never “too much.”
Past Lives shows us that all relationships between people are important, and should be treated with care, respect, and love. – Teresa
Thirteen years ago, writer/director Dean Fleischer-Camp dropped serious adorable on the world with his short film, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, co-created with writer/actor Jenny Slate, who also does the voice of Marcel. Two subsequent Marcel the Shell short films were released in 2011 and 2014, and they delivered some much needed sweetness to a tumultuous and difficult decade.
In 2021, A24 gave us the feature-length Marcel film we desperately needed. With Slate reprising her role, and Fleischer-Camp directing and co-writing the script with Slate and Nick Paley, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On retains the adorable sweetness of the original shorts while also creating a really poignant look at life in the face of loss, grief, and feeling (or actually being) really small. – Teresa
Where to watch Marcel the Shell with Shoes On:Paramount+
X
(A24)
While Ti West’s film, X, is a horror movie, it’s arguably more a film about sex positivity than anything else. After all, the cast of characters we follow, led by Mia Goth’s Maxine, arrives at a house they’ve rented to shoot a porn film, and the main antagonist, an elderly woman named Pearl, does what she does because she just wants her husband to have sex with her, gosh-dangit!
Using horror to explore the role that sex plays in people’s lives is hugely interesting, and while the film doesn’t entirely stick the landing, it does make you think, and warrants further discussion. Luckily, it ended up being the first in a franchise. – Teresa
And here’s the other entry (so far) in the sex-positive X horror franchise. Pearl gives the backstory of X‘s antagonist, showing her as a young woman dealing with a repressive family while having a lustful and adventurous personality.
Interestingly, Mia Goth was cast in the role of Pearl for this prequel, drawing an even greater parallel between Pearl and Maxine than even X did. A third film in the trilogy, titled MaXXXine, is due for release in 2024 starring, you guessed it, Mia Goth. Also from A24. – Teresa
After Yang is a very small sci-fi film dealing with very big ideas. Starring Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith, and directed by Kogonada (Pachinko), it tells the story of a couple and their adoptive daughter, Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja). Also part of their family is a robotic teenage boy named Yang (Justin H. Min), who was created to live with the family to help connect Mika to her Chinese culture.
What is culture and what does it mean to a person? To a family? Is a robot child still a child? What happens when the robot child malfunctions? This A24 gem examines all of these things and more in a smart, grounded, lovely film. – Teresa
I gotta be real: I still have to watch this movie all the way through, and I don’t normally rank things without seeing them myself. But I think the reviews speak for themselves, and even if I end up not liking it, everything I’m hearing about this movie tells me that’d be more of a “me” problem.
Honestly, the only reason I’m not sitting my ass down and watching it is because it sounds like it’ll hit too close to home. An Asian woman confronts her traumatic relationship with her mom? No thanks, I need the salt in my eyes today. – Madeline
Where to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once: Showtime
Bodies Bodies Bodies
(A24)
A lot of people thought the ending of Bodies Bodies Bodies was cheap and excessive, but I thought it was pretty fun and matched the tonal theme of the movie: that this generation (my generation, really) is very, very good at blowing things out of proportion.
At the same time, the film had a very knowing way of going about this, instead of doing the “Maher” approach of “All kids are dumb.” I mean, yeah, these guys are kinda dumb, but there’s a lot to be said within this movie if you’re not dumb enough to take the time to think about it. – Madeline
Stories featuring Asian immigrants in America are few and far between these days, and even rarer are those which are able to depict immigrant families with love, authenticity, and engagement. Minari does all of this and then some.
At times heart-wrenching, and sometimes gut-busting, this film follows the story of a family of Korean immigrants who hope to make a living as farmers in the midwest. The film’s leads, Steven Yeun and Han Ye-ri (of American and Korean fame, respectively), share a powerful dynamic that only enhances the joy and charm of the cast as an ensemble. – Madeline
Although much of this film’s point and plot were lost on those without a prior knowledge of the Arthurian canon, The Green Knight still prevailed as one of the most gripping movies of 2021. Bringing modern twists regarding masculinity and sexuality to a classic tale of chivalry and despair, this retelling is not only faithful—it’s innovative, and wondrously so.
This is in no small part thanks to Dev Patel’s sincere performance as Sir Gawain. He manages to embody the spirit of this literary hero so well, one can’t help but pity him (as well as grumble in frustration) as he scrapes through his harrowing quest. – Madeline
There’s a reason everyone spoke so highly of this movie, and why it won so many accolades. Moonlight is nothing short of a masterpiece, and everything about it is utterly artful and genuine. Sometimes, this means it’s difficult to watch, but like all good art, this was the intention. It’s a film that’s meant to make viewers feel. And feel they did: Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2017, as well as Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali.
Moonlight follows the story of sweet-natured Chiron from childhood to adulthood, watching him as he relies on various people to help him deal with strife, both at home and in his community at large. Touching on themes of masculinity, sexuality, and innocence challenged by grief, Chiron’s story is one of the most compelling narratives in modern film. – Madeline
Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut is nothing short of a game-changer in the world of coming-of-age stories. While the narrative itself is nothing new—that of a bored, unstimulated suburban girl finding her place in the world—it’s told in a way that’s refreshing, authentic, hilarious, and painstakingly relatable.
Christine “Lady Bird” MacPherson is an incredibly real protagonist, in that she’s both understandable and quite frustrating to watch, particularly when interacting with her mother. All the same, her growth into an independent young woman is handled with a great deal of empathy and objectivity, which is sorely needed. – Madeline
Hold onto your sea caps, this one’s a doozy—in the best way possible. The Lighthouse (which we called “dark, disgusting, and wonderful“) hearkens back to days spent sick in bed, feeling as though you’re losing your mind. It’s a claustrophobic, neurotic, anxiety-inducing tale of two men who need each other so much that they start to hate one another, and it’s fantastic.
Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe clearly had a good time in their roles as salty seamen, as they truly give their all in their portrayals of cantankerous men slowly going mad. Although the film will have you feeling your muscles uneasily clench all the way to the end, it will also have you burst out laughing during the many moments of sheer, unbridled antagonism shown by Wake and Winslow. – Madeline
As the most underrated film on this list, Waves deserves quite a bit more attention than it has received. Similar to HBO’s Euphoria, it tackles heavy subjects such as addiction, assault, and familial strife, yet it does so with quite a bit more grace, feeling, and respect for its teenage subjects.
Following a horrific tragedy within one family, Waves chronicles the experiences that forever changed the lives of the two children: wrestling star Tyler and his sensitive little sister, Emily. It very much feels like a snapshot of the modern teenage experience, with an excellent soundtrack to highlight this point (featuring the likes of Frank Ocean and Animal Collective). – Madeline
For Asian Americans such as myself, the gap between one’s American-ness and Asian-ness can sometimes feel impossible to bridge. But there are times when the two coalesce naturally and poignantly, and no other film exemplifies this experience better than The Farewell.
Signaling Awkwafina’s transition from comedies into dramas, this tear-jerking film follows a family attempting to bring light and joy to their grandmother’s final days as she succumbs to her sickness. Although Awkwafina’s Billi struggles to feel like a part of it all, ultimately she’s one of the anchors of the whole situation, and the moments of happiness and connection created by the family are utterly tangible to viewers. – Madeline
As Ari Aster’s sophomore horror title, many fans of his previous movie Hereditary had high expectations for Midsommar. And in nearly every single way, Midsommar ultimately rose above its predecessor as one of A24’s best horror films to date.
It has everything: psychological manipulation, cult stuff, gruesome deaths, and even the added caveat of desexualized expressions of feminine suffering (problematic though they still may be). It’s a deeply unsettling and horrific movie that will leave viewers feeling nauseous and awful the day after, but in a way that makes them think, and in a way that sends a message—the message being, if you live your life with no regard for others, you may just end up in a Swedish cult. – Madeline
The best sort of sci-fi is the sci-fi that deals with psychology, instead of just focusing on how cool technology could be. Advancements in technology can sometimes be more harmful than productive, and in the case of Ex Machina, they can be downright unraveling.
Following the story of a man falling in love with an android (beautifully and disturbingly portrayed by Domnhall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander, respectively), Ex Machina asks a lot of questions about our relationship to artificial intelligence. The answers it provides are less about AI itself, and more about us, in ways that will stick with us for a long time after our initial viewing. – Madeline
Of all the films on this list, The Last Black Man in San Francisco has the most heart, by far. This is in large part because it’s based on the life of its lead actor, Jimmie Fails, who co-wrote the story with his childhood best friend, director Joe Talbot.
This movie will strike a chord with anyone who knows anything about San Francisco, as it reckons with the realities of gentrification and familial roots. In addition, Fails and his eccentric friend Mont (played by the impeccable Jonathan Majors) have a truly affectionate and memorable relationship, which helps to make Fail’s grandfather’s house feel like a character in and of itself throughout the movie. – Madeline
